468 Bradbnrn v. Royal Arjriailtural Society of Enyland. 
plaintiff complains, and which was made without any qualifica- 
tion at all in the August number of the Koyal Agricultural 
Society's Gazette,* is a statement which, when read, might be 
deemed by many persons to impute to Mr. Bradburn that he 
had been himself active in the sale of that which, though re- 
presented to be bone-dust, was not pure bone-dust, but was an 
inferior article ; and feeling as they do, after Mr. Brad burn's 
explanation, that he only intended to have it sold as bone-dust 
and bone- waste, they feel that they ought not still to adhere to 
the statement that has been made, and which they feel, if inter- 
preted in that way, would be an unfair statement as against 
Mr. Bradburn. 
Under those circumstances, I am quite willing, on behalf of 
the Council, to say that they feel they have gone too far in 
making this statement they have made, and therefore, under 
those circumstances, they feel that they ought to state so publicly, 
and allow a verdict for nominal damages to pass against them, 
it being understood that his Lordship shall give a certificate for 
costs ; and so the matter will be ended. The Royal Agri- 
cultural Society of England have no interest in this matter, 
except that of doing good to the agricultural interests of this 
country. It is perfectly well known that it does sometimes 
Tiappen that when people are led to believe they are getting 
valuable manure, an artificial of very inferior quality is palmed 
off upon them. This statement was published under the cir- 
cumstances I have mentioned ; and inasmuch as it imputes to 
Mr. Bradburn that which could not be justifiably imputed to 
him — he personally having had nothing to do with this sale — 
the Council feel that in justice to Mr. Bradburn the statement 
ought not to go uncontradicted by them in open Court ; and on 
their behalf, I now admit that they were not justified in stating 
what they did in August in the 'Agricultural Gazette'! of 
that date. 
Mr. Baron Bramwell : Gentlemen of the Jury. — Of course 
there can be no notion here that there has been any ill-will or 
any improper motive on the part of the defendants, who are far 
too respectable and too distinguished a body to be influenced 
by any such feelings. I think that the public ought to be very 
much obliged to them, and to others who do as they do. We 
liave no public prosecutor whose business it is to protect us 
against frauds and adulterations, and therefore we ought to feel 
very grateful to the Society for what they do ; but, as Sir John 
* Referring to the Society's Journal. — Edit. 
t ' The Jourual of the Royal Agricultural Society of England.' — Edit. 
